Chapter 110: Ambush
Chapter 110: Ambush
Harry was completely stunned, stammering as he asked, "P-professor, what do you mean?"
Sherlock immediately cut him off. "Just do as I say! Remember, if I don't answer right away, use the Stunning Spell immediately. You should remember the incantation, right? I even went over it with you again during our travels."
Harry could tell something was wrong. He nodded, indicating that he understood, then turned and ran back to the car.
After watching him leave, Sherlock didn't hesitate and cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself.
Under the spell's effect, he slowly faded into the air until he was almost invisible.
However, even after Sherlock started moving, the slight distortion in the air still hinted at his presence.
The Disillusionment Charm is a spell that allows a wizard to become invisible, though its effect is not as strong as an Invisibility Cloak. It is generally suitable for use at night, as even a slightly observant person can spot the spell's flaws during the day.
But Sherlock didn't need perfect invisibility. After casting the Disillusionment Charm, he quickly followed the direction where Nicolas Flamel had disappeared.
However, after searching the yard for a long time, he still couldn't find Nicolas Flamel.
The door of the Flamel house was tightly shut, and even the lock was visible, showing no signs of anyone being inside.
This only confirmed Sherlock's suspicions.
But where did that "Nicolas Flamel" go?
While Sherlock was searching, a girl with freckles and a wooden box in her hands suddenly emerged from the flower bed in the back garden.
Seeing the girl who had introduced herself as "Mylene Kreel" and met Fleur in the bar yesterday, Sherlock's face broke into a sly smile.
Ah, there you are.
Harry remembered every word Sherlock had told him and got into the car.
Recalling Sherlock's serious expression, Harry guessed that something serious must have happened.
Sherlock's solemn attitude made Harry nervous. He sat in the car, constantly looking around outside.
On his fifth time sticking his head out to check if Sherlock had returned, a familiar figure suddenly appeared around the corner.
"Harry? Why are you alone in the car? Where's Sherlock?" Fleur asked, puzzled.
Harry's hand, gripping his wand, was sweating. His eyes fixed on Fleur, he suddenly demanded, "What's your sister's name!"
Fleur was taken aback, clearly confused by Harry's sudden question.
"What? I just finished looking for the Philosopher's Stone fragments. I found three, we can each have one."
"What's your sister's name! Speak up!" Harry pressed.
Fleur stood there, at a loss for words, stammering, "I, I—"
"Stupefy!"
Without hesitation, Harry extended his hand, which had been hidden in the car, and a red light shot from the tip of his wand, striking the "Fleur" standing three meters away, who had no time to react.
"Ah!"
Hit by the spell, "Fleur" didn't fall to the ground immediately but let out a loud scream and suddenly transformed into a creature with pointed ears and a face like a rotten orange.
A goblin!
As the goblin returned to its true form, a sound like a whip cracking through the air echoed, and the next second, it vanished.
Harry, who had been preparing to cast another spell, relaxed once he was sure he was no longer in danger. He lowered his wand and took deep breaths, his nerves finally easing.
Harry had been right!
The attacker hadn't used Sherlock's identity to approach him, but Fleur's!
Although he was now safe, this only made him worry more about Sherlock.
Harry believed that Nicolas Flamel had orchestrated this, and he wasn't sure if Sherlock could defeat the six-hundred-year-old old wizard.
Sherlock, however, wasn't worried about whether he could defeat his opponent.
He was quietly following Fleur's classmate, "Mylene Kreel."
Watching her enter the forest where the Philosopher's Stone fragments were supposedly hidden, Sherlock silently followed.
The forest was not small, though it was certainly not as large as the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts. It was far from the usual small grove.
The young wizards searching for the Philosopher's Stone fragments had been combing the area for about twenty minutes, with only a few making any progress.
After entering the forest, "Mylene Kreel" began asking the wizards who were searching for the fragments about Fleur's whereabouts.
"Was it the girl with the silver hair and the beautiful appearance?" a young male wizard recalled, pointing in a direction, "I saw her go that way just a moment ago."
"Thank you." "Kreel" thanked him politely and then headed in the direction the wizard had pointed.
"She" continued deeper into the forest for about a hundred meters and, from a distance, saw Fleur arguing with someone.
"This is mine; I got it first, why should I give it to you?" Fleur said disdainfully, looking at the witch standing opposite her.
The witch had a dark expression and kept her eyes fixed on Fleur's right hand, which held a blood-red fragment. She had seen it on a tree branch, but before she could reach for it, the fragment had flown up and landed in Fleur's hand.
"Because I saw it first!" the witch said coldly.
"If everything you see first belongs to you, then no one would enter this forest. The first person to spot a Philosopher's Stone fragment would claim them all."
Fleur wasn't afraid of anyone when it came to arguments.
At Beauxbatons, not everyone was kind to her. While most boys might be charmed by her natural beauty and try to win her favor, most girls were not friendly to her. After all, she was the most popular among the boys, and those who felt upstaged by her would naturally look for ways to pick a fight.
But whether inside or outside the school, Fleur had never lost an argument.
"I saw you dig one out of the grass just now. Isn't it a bit greedy to want another?" the witch edged closer to Fleur, clearly preparing to make a move.
Fleur wasn't afraid of her. Even without a wand, her Veela heritage made her more adept at controlling her magic, which was why she had found two fragments so quickly.
"Nicholas Flamel himself said that you can take however many you find. If you can't find any, it's your own fault!"
Hearing Fleur's merciless taunt, the witch finally lost her patience.
Just as she was about to use her physical advantage to pounce and snatch the two fragments from Fleur, a third voice rang out from the side.
"Delacour Senior!"
The witch stopped her attack, her face darkening as she looked at the suddenly approaching "Kreel."
Fleur also saw her "junior" arrive and couldn't help but smile in relief.
While she wasn't afraid of the witch, it was certainly better to have some backup.
"Kreel" stood beside Fleur, and the witch, looking resentful, muttered "We'll see" before slinking away.
Fleur thanked "Kreel."
"Thank you for coming just in time."
"It's no problem, Senior." "She" said with a smile, "You can use one of those Philosopher's Stone fragments as a thank-you gift."
Fleur shook her head, looking wary as she refused.
"No way! I promised to bring these to someone else; I can't give them to you."
"Kreel" waved her hands in a reassuring manner. "I was just joking, Senior. No need to be so tense."
Once Fleur was sure her junior had no intention of taking the fragments, she relaxed a bit and walked with "her."
"Let's go deeper into the forest. No one has likely searched there yet, and we might find something."
As they walked deeper, Fleur asked curiously, "Why did you come so late? I thought something had happened, and you wouldn't come at all."
"Kreel" smiled.
"I was delayed by something, but I'm here now, and it's not too late."
"It's not too late. From what I know, five people have already found Philosopher's Stone fragments. Including the two I have, that makes seven. There are sixteen left, so we have a good chance of finding at least one more, maybe even two."
Fleur said enthusiastically, still dreaming of finding three Philosopher's Stone fragments to bring back. Then, she, Sherlock, and Harry could each have one.
"Kreel" watched the hopeful girl searching the forest and smiled silently. However, her smile was somewhat unsettling.
"Kreel" deliberately led Fleur to a spot where a bird's nest in a tree contained two fragments.
"Look there, Senior!" "Kreel" exclaimed, pointing to her discovery.
Fleur became excited. She knew finding three Philosopher's Stone fragments was no longer a fantasy. With the two new fragments, she and "Kreel" could each take one.
As she ran to the tree, ready to use her magic power to retrieve the fragments without a wand, a blinding red light suddenly shot toward her.
"Stupefy!"
(End of Chapter)
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